Professor of OBGYN; Director of Reproductive Genetics
Columbia University
Dr. Ronald Wapner, MD, is a leader in the field of reproductive genetics, currently serving as the Division Chief of Women's Genetics in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. His groundbreaking contributions to reproductive medicine include the development of chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and multi-fetal reduction, setting new standards in prenatal diagnosis.
Dr. Wapner's career is marked by over 400 influential publications, underscoring his active role as an investigator in Maternal-Fetal Medicine research. He plays a crucial part in numerous NICHD-sponsored multi-center studies, acting as a principal or co-investigator. Notably, he serves as the Center Principal Investigator for the National Standards for Fetal Growth study and the NuMoM2B study within the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network at Columbia.
A visionary in prenatal genetics, Dr. Wapner led a landmark multicenter study evaluating the precision and benefits of microarray analysis in prenatal diagnosis. His innovative work secured five-year NIH funding to explore the cost-effectiveness of genomic sequencing in prenatal genetic diagnosis. This initiative fostered collaborations with industry and academic partners, culminating in the creation of the International Fetal Genomics Consortium (IFGC) and the establishment of a global repository for structural anomalies.
Dr. Wapner's contributions have been recognized with numerous accolades, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (2015), The Dru Carlson Memorial Award for Best Research in Ultrasound and Genetics (2017), and the Pioneer Award from the International Society of Prenatal Diagnosis (2021). His dedication to advancing multidisciplinary research and developing clinical research centers has left an indelible impact on the field of reproductive genetics.
